My vision for 2020 was based on my 2019 experience. So here’s a little reflection of the past year:

2019 became an eye-opener. It’s as if all the pains, challenges that defeated me, and inner struggles kept over the years finally came out to the surface. I spent days crying as I dealt with them one by one. It was so human to finally grieve what should have been grieved about and feel every emotion as triggers come.

Let me now introduce you to my companions in achieving my 2020 vision:

First journal — The first page contains my 2020 vision so that I am daily reminded why I do what I do. This journal is for my gratitude list, release and forgiveness, and whatnots.

Php 220 from National Book Store

Gratitude is essential so I have made this into a daily habit by writing down things and people I am thankful for. A grateful heart replaces a complaining heart. It’s done so much good to my mental health by making me more aware of the blessings God has already given.

So if you struggle with discontent and complaining, the habit of gratitude can combat them.

I also write here ideas that I should let go of and every person that I need to forgive or ask forgiveness from.

There are things or experiences that I can only process when writing, so yes, I dump them here, too. As I always say, writing is a free therapy session.

As a mom to both humans and dogs, homeschooler, and an entrepreneur, I have many tasks every day (which I am working on to minimize). It is imperative to meditate on God’s word not only because it is His command but also because I thirst for His word. It fuels me to live the day.

Seriously, how would I live without the loving guidance of my Father and Creator?

My prayer list belongs here, too. I specifically write the people and things I’m praying for, and when I get a positive answer (aka God has shown me the answer), I put a checkmark on the item.

Php 220 from National Book Store

Sa totoo lang, it’s really sweet to do this. Ang sweet because I get to realize how powerful and awesome and loving and caring our Father is when I let Him have His ways in my life. I’m so looking forward to many answered prayers–whether yes, no, or wait pa yan, because His ways are the best!

Piso Planner — I love this planner for several reasons but mainly because it was offered with Chinkee Tan’s other books for financial literacy.

So bet na bet!

It’s so practical. For the value of Php 640 (including the shipping fee), I got the Piso Planner and the books My Ipon Diary, Diary of a Pulubi, My Utang-Free Diary, Keri Mo Yan!, and My Badyet Diary.

I am inspired by people who are way ahead in financial literacy, so if you are, kudos to you. For me, who is a late bloomer, I need to educate myself more to handle our financial matters, and one way is to read the books and another is to apply it.

The Piso Planner is my partner in managing our finances well.

Because I am already tired of mismanaging it. Haha. I want to have a healthy life money-wise by earning well, being debt-free, living within our means, saving, and investing.

Look here, for every month, it has a page for budgeting–how much goes to the savings and expenses. Neat, right? Pero ang hirap din especially that I’m still living with the consequences of my past financial decisions.

But I always remind myself to press on. No quitting.

The Piso Planner also offers 12 Steps to Master in Order to Live a Debt-Free and Wealthy Life. One step every month.

This one reminds of the due dates so that users can be proactive in paying bills.

The Piso Planner helps me to be aligned with my vision and the meditated Word.

There’s a space here for the monthly to-do’s. I have not used this yet but by February, I’m going to utilize this space for my focus items which are my small goals.

I love the space for weekly planning. Right after scribbling in my two journals, I go to this space to write my daily to-do’s and not to-do’s according to the action plan from my meditation. This way, my actions for the day are aligned to my overall vision and the word of God.

Just like life, using this planner is a journey. So I may do more things with this planner just like putting more notes or doing the weekly challenges. For now, I believe that this planner is being used according to my present needs and it’s serving its purpose.

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What’s your 2020 planner? I’d love to know through the comments or read on your blog! Drop the link in the comments.

This blog post is part of the Mommy Bloggers Philippines Blog Hop for January 2020.

Yup, emphasized mga mamshies ang “meaningful and practical” because that is my goal for any celebration.

Of course, a celebration should be meaningful. If not, why do you have to celebrate anyway, isn’t it? And to be meaningful, I am not talking of symbols. Our hearts and souls should be involved.

Second, a celebration for me should be practical. Why?

We are aware that during this time, we cannot afford to waste food or other resources. Everything wasted equates to a value that we can save to be used in other important things.

We need to let go of some cultural beliefs or traditions because they are no longer serving us.

So by being practical, we become good stewards of our material blessings and we can show that the correct mindset will lead us to success (whatever that means to each one) in the year ahead and it doesn’t depend on the rituals we do on New Year’s eve.

So if bet mo ‘to, here are the tips for you:

Buy fruits that your family wants to eat.

A famous Filipino belief is to prepare 12 (sometimes 13) round fruits in welcoming the New Year as a symbol of prosperity. Twelve represents the months in a year, and the round-shaped fruits symbolize coins (money).

But I only bought grapes, kiat-kiat, and lemon added to the bananas my parents gave. And it’s okay.

It’s okay if our fruits didn’t reach 12 because it means we can consume all these fruits before they rot. It means we are not wasting food, and we can buy the same or other fruits once they’re all eaten up.

God is the source of blessings. Ask Him. Lay your requests to Him. Also, He has given us resources to use, such as our talents and skills, that if we are going to put them in good use, we’ll be able to improve our life and the life of those we love.

Cook or order enough food.

I ordered lasagna because that’s my favorite and made siomai and lumpia for the boys. My mother-in-law gave us buko salad, while we spent early dinner at my parents’ enjoying native chicken tinola.

Just like the fruits we bought, I chose to order and cook food that we can consume only in a day or two and enough to be shared with other people.

The sooner we get back to our regular diet, the lesser we complain of the few inches we gained over the holidays–the lesser we trouble ourselves on how to lose them.

Just savor the time you have, at this moment, with your family.

New Year somewhat slows time while we stop and count down as the clock reaches 12 o’clock–a historical event of us bidding goodbye to 2019 and saying hello to 2020.

Yet we know, soon after this celebration, everyone will go back to their own life and probably be caught up again by “busy.” So yes, savor the togetherness whether that be physical or even virtual such as us, an OFW family. Don’t hesitate to show your love.

Share your blessings with those in need.

Know someone whom you want to bless on New Year’s eve?

It’s heartwarming to share food with neighbors who are likely to prepare the same food and would give you another food in return. But we can go the extra mile by sharing or ordering food for someone who probably would need it more, without us expecting anything back at all.

Instead of having a surplus of food, we can redirect our money to buy or cook food for that someone or those people we want to bless with. For sure, they are going to thank God for that gesture–and that would be very wonderful.

Be grateful for God’s faithfulness.

Yes, mamsh. You are already blessed. The fact that you are breathing means God has been faithful to you.

I remember a song saying, “If you are breathing, say thanks!”

No matter how my day goes, it always reminds me to be grateful just to be alive and be human. And I feel more blessed counting the things I have on top of that.

Remember that we are already blessed. More so if we realize the goodness of God. When we realize this, we have no time to make “hisa” (Ilonggo) or “inggit” to other people because you know that each one of us is blessed accordingly. This is then the secret to a content heart.

Lay your requests to God.

Every New Year’s eve since high school, I make special requests to God. I just smile whenever I remember I actually prayed to break our TV because it was distracting me from studying. Haha!

I had those kinds of requests, but then I also had serious ones. Like 11 years ago, I prayed for a man who would love me and I would love him back.

God gave me a husband that same year.

This time, I have another one; it’s so special because it’s for the people I love. And I’m so excited about how He will orchestrate things and events for this. He is such an amazing God, you know.

I used not to care at all and was an impulsive spender, in fact. But I realize that as a mom with two young kids, practicality is important to prepare for their future. How about you? Care to share your tips for a meaningful and practical New Year celebration?

Life Before Christ

I grew up in a “Christian” home–my mother being a Baptist and my father, a Catholic. Knowing Christ came at an early age through attending Sunday school. I was also baptized before high school as a sign of my vow to follow Him.

Church activities for the youth were my favorite, and they occupied most of my high school years.

However, when I faced life on my own in the city, I fell in a vicious cycle of backsliding and getting up in the faith. It was vicious because it exhausted me until there was little faith left.

Perhaps as a defense mechanism, an act to save myself, I created a version of God in my head. This version is what my sinful self would want God to be and not who really God is.

This God I made was my rescuer, refuge, problem solver, comforter… the God of my convenience. I failed to recognize Him as a God of righteousness and holiness.

So it became easy for me to call to Him in times of trouble because I ignored my sins. When I asked for forgiveness in prayer, saying,”Patawara ko kung nakasala ko sa pulong, sa buhat, kag panghunahuna (Forgive me if I have sinned in words, deeds, and thoughts.),” I was merely uttering words out of ritual. Not sorry at all. Not feeling anything.

Looking back, I know now how crooked my knowledge about God was and it made me question myself.

Was I really true when I vowed to follow Him? Clearly, I was not.

Until in the recent years, I developed anxiety attacks.

Cold sweats.

Palpitation.

Shivers.

An anxiety attack was a monster I begged not to come back.

In fear, I cried. I called out to God and asked for His help. But still clouded with sin, I only saw my pain.

In utter frustration, I blamed Him.

Turning Point

His unfailing love reached me through an invitation from my old-time friend, Izzie. A casual chat led to a discipleship meeting that was followed by another and another.

It was then that I knew God for real and experienced Him in my life.

I decided to commit my life to Him for good for one reason: I want to experience life at its fullest.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10

Aiming for money, fame, awards, praises, and applause of men have not satisfied the deepest longings of my heart. Only God has.

Yes, He is my rescuer, refuge, comforter, provider and more. But He is also righteous and holy.

He hates sin and sacrificed His son, Jesus, for the redemption of our sins. That if we truly repent and believe in Him as our savior, having an authentic relationship with Him, you and I can spend eternity with Him.

Such love.

Then I’ve understood that the pain I bore was nothing to the pain He endured just to give mankind a full life, an abundant life which we cannot give ourselves.

Such grace.

Life with Christ

Life with Christ is a day-to-day progress of a journey. Meditating His word every day reveals His promises, truths, and wisdom in living.

So I’m still undone.

There’s more to learn. There’s more to experience. There’s more to do.

If I have not known Christ, I may still be wandering right now not knowing what to do. Immersed in insecurity. Sulking in self-pity. Nurturing hatred. Unable to truly forgive. Incapable of love. Anxious about everything.

Lost.

Experiencing His saving grace and His infinite love is my greatest security. Seeking Him every day is my most beautiful quest. Leading others toward Him is my privilege.